All of these women are well-deserving of the honor!

Black women in Hollywood are having a very well-deserved and long overdue moment in the sun these days. From making history and racking up awards to creating projects that are breaking barriers and inspiring a new generation of talent, it’s a great time to be a black woman in Hollywood with a distinct voice. ESSENCE magazine has taken note and announced that its 2018 Black Women in Hollywood are women leading the way, Tiffany Haddish, Tessa Thompson, Lena Waithe and Danai Gurira.

When you look at the honorees for ESSENCE’s 2018 Black Women in Hollywood, you realize just how much they’ve done with their careers in such a short time. Tiffany Haddish blew all our minds and had us cracking up with laughter in her breakout role in the 2017 summer hit Girls Trip, Tessa Thompson continues to be a stellar actress of color and activist, Lena Waithe just made history with her Emmy win for writing an episode of Netflix’s Master of None and Danai Gurira has been kicking butt for several seasons on the hit series The Walking Dead and set to do even more in the highly-anticipated Black Panther.

Held each year just ahead of the Academy Awards, the Black Women in Hollywood event has become one of the most anticipated Oscar weekend happenings, serving as an uplifting gathering highlighting the phenomenal work of dynamic Black women in the industry. The elegant affair sees Hollywood’s biggest names come together to honor these game-changers, who continue to elevate the culture through their art form.

This year’s event will honor four extraordinary young Black women in film and television whose fearless approach to navigating Hollywood has inspired those around them and taken the concept of representation to new heights: Emmy Award-winning writer/actress Lena Waithe; actress/award-winning playwright Danai Gurira; actress/activist Tessa Thompson and comedienne/award-winning actress Tiffany Haddish.

So very proud of these ladies and what they mean to Hollywood! The 2018 Black Women in Hollywood luncheon will take place on Thursday, March 1, at the Beverly Wilshire Hotel in Beverly Hills, CA.